Finish Line?
by The Leaping Frog
Summary: She didn't know why she was there, wherever she was. All she knew was that she wanted to leave. All she remembered was dancing...


A/N: Well this is different for me as it is sort of a spiritual one shot. Kind of experimenting with what happens when you are inbetween life and death.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I am just playing with the characters. I will return them once i am done.

* * *

She swayed softly, moving her feet lightly around the place like a fluttering butterfly. She felt like the whole world was watching, and maybe they were. She felt light and free, she felt no worry, no pain; nothing except blissful happiness.

She twirled; her hair flying out all over the place as she spun round pivoting her leg out as she turned then brought it back in. She danced freely; not knowing what she was going to do next not planning her next move. She just danced freely, the music in her head leading her the way to the next move.

She danced perfectly, not a missed placed step or shuffle anywhere. She danced swiftly around, not making any attempt to stop and rest. She was happy dancing alone, doing as she pleased.

A bright light appeared in the distance and intrigued by it she began to twirl slowly towards it. It was warm and welcoming and she smiled as the glow warmed her face.

She stopped just before the light, feeling a bit weary of what it was. It felt warm and welcoming but there was a strange feeling to it, and she had a feeling that once she passed through it, there would be no chance of her returning and that prospect didn't frighten her at all. She could feel the warmth and happiness coming from the other side, tempting her to cross.

She gingerly lifted her foot to take a step forward but a mysterious voice from behind her stopped her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice warned, making her jump slightly as she thought that she was alone.

She turned round, looking for the source of the voice but found no one, "…Who's there?"

"I am here," the voice replied simply.

She looked around again, but she still couldn't find where the voice was coming from.

"Where?" She said as she turned on the spot, looking in every angle and direction, "Where are you? If you are here then why can't I see you?"

"Those questions will be answered soon my dear, but the real question is why are you here?"

She arched her eyebrow, obviously confused; "What do you mean 'why am I here?' I don't know why…"

"What was the last thing you remember?" The voice asked softly.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember the last thing she did, the last thing she said but she couldn't remember anything at all. All she remembered was dancing.

"I…I don't remember. I can't…"

"Surely you must remember something or have some sort of clue as to why you are here," the voice said as she began looking around again.

"No, I don't know why I am here, but you obviously do so tell me where I am and why I am here!" She demanded as she was becoming increasingly frustrated with the voice.

"I'm afraid I can not do that. You must find out these answers on your own," the voice stated. She threw her arms up in the air with annoyance.

"Then show yourself then! Who are you? Where are you?"

"I am sorry, but I can not tell you," the voice replied yet again giving an answer that she did not like. "Now, try to remember the last thing you were doing."

"I have told you I can't!" She snapped, "I can't remember!"

The voiced sighed, "Well you weren't trying hard enough then were you? You need to try harder, you can't just give up!"

"I'm going mad! I am hearing voices that aren't really there! Great just fantastic!" She dropped down on the floor, "Why are you even here? If this is another one of those mind control gimmicks then you can just forget it, get out of my head right now!"

"I am not in your head. Just try to think of the last thing you did, it will help you find out why you are here, what harm could come to you by doing that?"

She sighed, the voice had a point; there would be no harm in trying to remember what happened to get her to where she was right now.

She closed her eyes, trying to focus on remembering the last thing she did. It was in bits and pieces and she couldn't make out what was going on as there were different things going on. She could see herself and some other people getting ready, for what appeared to be a night out. She could hear happy voices and laughter. She could see a crowd of people surrounding her, dressing her up in tiaras and feather boas. She opened her eyes; "I was getting ready to go out…I was having a girls night on the town. We…we were dressing up…"

"Yes? What else can you see?"

She closed her eyes again; remaining focused on the pictures in her mind. She was sitting at a table now, with friends sitting round her. They were eating a meal and toasting. She could hear laughter and happy cries again. Lots of wine and champagne was brought to the table as more toasts were made.

She took a deep breath as she opened her eyes again to reveal to the voice, and more to herself what she had just seen. "I was sitting down…at a table with my friends surrounding me. We were laughing and toasting…toasting me. It was some sort of celebration…my hen night. I am engaged?" She looked at her ring finger but was shocked when she couldn't see anything on it, "If I am engaged, where is my ring?"

"You may find out if you continue," the voice suggested, urging her to continue.

"I don't know if I want to, but I don't have a choice," she said solemnly when she realised for the first time since she has been here that this wasn't a pleasant dream.

"You always have a choice," The voice said, "You can choose not to remember."

She snorted, "And be stuck here with you forever? No, I'll take my chances thanks!"

She closed her eyes, and focused again on the memory. She could see herself walking out of the restaurant with her friends and waiting to cross the road to go to the dance club on the other side of the street. She took a deep breath, she could see it was clear so she walked across the road. A car could be heard speeding down the street in the distance, tire breaks, the car screeching as it tries to stop in time. High-pitched screams, she held her head as she remembered a shot of pain spread through her body like a thousand knifes being stabbed into her at the same time. Her eyes bolted open as she choked out the breath she was holding in.

"I…I…was involved in an accident…I was hit by a car…but if I am here then that must mean…am I…_dead_?"

"No, you are not dead, nor are you alive," the voice replied reassuringly.

She shook her head, "What? I have to be something. I am one or another I can't be neither!"

"I am afraid you are mistaken. There is only one place where you can be neither dead or alive and that is in limbo."

"Limbo?" She asked, in an almost whisper, "Well how can I get out? Can I get out?"

"That is up to you, you can only leave on your own say so," the voice explained. She shook her head refusing to believe what was happening.

"I want to leave, please let me leave!" She pleaded, "I want to leave, I want to go back. Please just let me go back!" Tears were falling freely down her face.

"You can not just say you want to leave, you have to actually want it. Part of you doesn't want to go back, part of you wants to move on."

She sighed, "It's easier to quit though isn't it? To give up, it's the easy way out?"

"Yes it is," the voice replied, "but are you a fighter? Do you fight for what you want?"

She nodded, "I do, but why is it so hard to fight this battle? Why can't I get what I want?"

"Your mind is different to your body. Your body may be giving up but your heart and your mind keep fighting back, not allowing the body to give up. Your heart and mind might be fighting but it is your body which is preventing you from returning."

"How can I…what can i… how can I stop my body from _dying_…?" She said the last word with strain. She found it hard to comprehend that this just might be the end, even if she was trying to go back to the world she loved.

"You can hope, have faith that your body will recover from the accident," the voice said reassuringly. "You're not alone in the fight you know?"

She looked puzzled, "What do you mean? How am I not alone?"

"Your friends and fiancé are constantly by your side, hoping that you recover from this. Never doubt what love can do, it is a powerful thing."

She closed her eyes and reached out her hand, wanting to be able to sense them, to feel their touch but she couldn't. She pinched herself but she didn't feel it.

"Why can't I feel anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why can't I feel anything? I pinched myself but I can't feel anything!"

"Yes, your mind is not connected to your body at the moment. You are in Limbo, your state is not identifiable at the moment."

"_Téa, if you can hear me, please wake up…I need you…please just wake up…"_

She shot up on hearing whispered voice she recognised.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" The first voice replied.

"I love you, please just wake up soon…" 

"That!" She said happily as she wondered round trying to find anything that could help her get out of this place, "Seto…I can hear you! I am trying, I really am trying…" she said through tears, "Please just hold on!"

"They are holding on for you, you just need to be strong and keep fighting."

"I want to be with him now, I can hear him but he can't hear me! I can't reassure him that I'm fine, that I am okay! I can't touch him! He can touch me and I can't feel it!" She cried, her anger and frustration coming out all at once. "Please, just let me go, let me go back to him…I miss him…"

"I can't do that. I can't let you go back, I don't have the power to do that, only you can."

"Who…who are you?" She asked in an almost whisper, "Tell me who you are!"

"I am someone who is just here to help," the voice replied.

She sighed, "Okay, if you are here to help, tell me how long I have been here? A few hours, a day?"

"A week."

"A week! What? No…No it can't be a week; it doesn't feel like it's been that long. How is this possible?"

"Time is different in Limbo, and it's also is limited. You are running out of time, you need to connect back with your body before you can leave this place the way you want to."

She gulped, "And what if I don't connect with my body, what happens then? What happens when I run out of time?"

The voice hesitated for the first time, "Your body will die, and so will you."

She shook her head in disbelief, "No, no I can't…I won't…no…"

She closed her eyes, trying desperately to think of ways to connect with her body but with every attempt she failed. Every attempt she failed at she became increasingly frustrated and angry with herself.

"You need to calm down, you won't get anywhere like this"

"How can I calm down? I will die if I don't think of a way to connect myself back with my body!"

"And you will die if you don't calm down, you can not possibly connect back with your body when you are in this state. Calm down."

She took a deep breath, "Okay…"

She concentrated hard, trying to imagine herself back in her body. It was a strange feeling, one that she did not like that much but she had to persevere if she was to survive this. She imagined being able to feel things, to be able to feel the softness of a rose petal or smoothness of her fiancée's skin. She tried to imagine being able to feel her hand being held or her cheek being caressed by Seto, the things she used to enjoy when she was conscious. She imagined what it felt like to be kissed again, and how it made her happy. She wanted to remain focused on her body, but imagining her lying down in a hospital bed attached to many different drips and machines was starting to become too much.

She imagined Seto and how he would feel if she were not to make it, if she lost the fight of life. It pained her to imagine it but it gave her the strength, the motivation to carry on fighting even though she was too tired. She ran her fingers down her face and smiled as she felt her fingers slide down her cheeks ever so slightly. She could feel something, which meant that she was on her way back to him. He was the only thing that kept her going, that kept her willing to keep fighting. She could feel the pull of death, urging her to give up and come but she refused to give up without a fight. She refused to believe that this was the end.

"_We are getting married soon, so you need to wake up for that. You can't be in a coma on your wedding day. Please wake up, I don't want to see you go…you can't leave me not after everything we've been through…"_

She could hear him more clearly now and she took that as a good sign, she was getting closer to him by the second she could feel it. She felt her hand being lifted up, held so carefully and lightly. She felt a thumb slide across each finger as the grip became slightly tighter, but not so it was uncomfortable. Tears ran down her face as she felt lips kiss the back of her hand, Seto's soft lips kissing her hand was something that she thought would never happen again. She was getting closer to the destination that she wanted as she fought the battle with death, and she was winning.

She could feel herself becoming part of her body again, it was a slow process but she felt more alive every second. Just knowing that she had someone who loved her was waiting for her to wake up was more than enough to keep her going.

The bright light was becoming stronger, however this light was different. This light had the warmth of life in its strong glow. She waited for the light to engulf her, waiting to see if it would bring her back home or to a place she was not hoping to go for a long time.

She opened her eyes as the light engulfed her, however this light did not strain her eyes. She just watched in awe as the light surrounded her, blocking out everything. She could hardly see anything as the light was far to bright for her eyes to focus on anything; she just stared ahead of her waiting for something to happen.

She felt herself floating in mid-air but she wasn't scared, she felt safe and secure as she sailed down softly like a feather floating around in the wind. She suddenly had a wave of nausea rush through her and shots of pain ran through her body like knifes. Strangely, she felt relieved as the light disappeared and all that was left was darkness.

* * *

_Click, Whirr_

_Beep, beep_

_Click, whirr_

_Beep, beep_

His hand rested on hers as his head lay towards her on the bed. He had fallen asleep due to the strain of the worry and heartache he had for his soon to be wife. He didn't want to leave her side in case there was the possibility of her waking up and him not being there. He wanted to be there with her the moment she wakes up, to reassure her that everything will to be okay.

Everything will be okay. He kept on telling himself that, trying to convince himself that she would wake up from her comatose state. When he first heard about the accident his whole world stopped. He imagined her lying on the ground, motionless, lifeless. He was scared, he was frightened that he was going to loose her just like everyone else he loved.

He remembered running to the hospital, not wanting to use one of his cars. He felt a sudden hatred to the driver that was responsible for the accident, but he put that hatred aside and concentrated on the paramount person, and that was Téa.

His Téa, he wanted it to be a dream. He wanted to wake up in his bed with her next to him and discover that this was all just a bad dream but no matter how many times he tried to pinch himself or convince himself he failed to believe what he wanted.

He waited as she was in the operating room, hoping and wishing for the best. He wanted her to be okay; he wanted her to be alive and well. He wanted her to survive but he knew better than to wish for those things. He prepared for the worst, knowing full well that nothing ever goes right for him in his personal life. Sure he had the company and more than enough money to live on but it wasn't enough, it wasn't what he really wanted. Nothing seemed to go right for him and it was confirmed when one of the doctors who was treating his fiancée came out of the operating room with a sad expression on his face.

"I am sorry Mr. Kaiba. We did the best we could, however due to complications during the procedure, Miss Gardner has fallen into a coma."

Those words have haunted him for a week. For a week he has been thinking constantly about what could happen if she didn't wake up. He was planning a wedding not long ago and now all that could change in an instant. It was touch and go, she could easily make it through or she could easily die. It killed him not knowing, everyday he hoped for change and everyday he was left wondering would this be the day? Would this be the day that she dies?

The past week was the hardest for him. He had hardly eaten, hardly slept and he hadn't shaved. The only time he had ever left her side was when doctors and nurses had to do her observations and check ups and when he needed a change of clothes. Apart from that, he remained with her hoping for the moment that she would open her eyes and awaken from her slumber.

He felt something move from underneath his hand and his head instantly bolted up. He took his hand off and breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw some of her fingers moving. He was overcome with joy as he stood up and held her hand and kissed the palm. He looked at her face and saw her eyes flutter slowly open.

She slowly moved her free hand to her head as she closed her eyes as the pain in her head overcame her. Seto called for the nurses and doctors to inform them that she had woken so they could perform the necessary procedures to make her more comfortable after her comatose state. He waited outside as they did their work, overjoyed that she had finally come back to him and that they could have their happy ending.

When he was finally let in to her room again he rushed to her side and held her hand again as she smiled.

"Hey," She said weakly as she smiled.

"Hey," He smiled at her, moving strands of her hair away from her eyes, "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore," she replied with a smile, "but I suppose that's to be expected."

He let out a laugh, "Yes, I guess it is," he thought for a moment as he let the moment sink in. "I was really worried about you," he said finally after the pause.

She smiled then frowned, "What happened exactly? I mean I do know what happened, kind of, but what _really_ happened?"

He bit his lip before taking a deep breath, "You were hit by a car, he was speeding…he couldn't stop in time…It happened a week today, actually…"

She sucked on her lip; "I suppose you haven't had much sleep this past week have you?"

He chuckled, "What made you say that?"

She smiled, "Just a hunch, plus you have bags under your eyes and you haven't shaven."

He sighed, "I was more concerned about you."

She thought for a moment. She wanted to tell him about her spiritual experience but part of her held back. She had her doubts as to whether or not he would believe her, or even accept what she had encountered. He would probably say it was the drugs messing with her mind or the long time she spent unconscious confusing her. No matter what excuse he could give her to explain what had happened, she knew it had and that's all that mattered to her.

She didn't think it was some sort of God, as it didn't feel God-like or holy. It felt as if someone were guiding her, helping her back to the right path she was meant to take before the accident. She tried hearing the voice in her head; it had sounded so similar, like she had heard the voice somewhere before. She couldn't place it, she couldn't figure out who that voice belonged to.

She knew that this would be something that would keep her wondering for the rest of her life, not really ever getting the chance to find out who it was that gave her the strength, courage and motivation to go back to the land of the living. She could have easily given up, looking back on it she had felt like doing it so many times but there was one thing, one person that kept her fight alive and that was Seto.

Without the image of him, urging her to continue fighting, she wouldn't be here today. She wouldn't be alive and she wouldn't be the future Mrs. Kaiba.

* * *

What did you think of it? 


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